1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a computer system for managing a plurality of data types. Particularly, this invention relates to a distributed computer system for capturing instructional data, including audio, image, charts, CAD, text, numeric and background data, from an instructor and/or searched data, including text, numeric, database, diagnostic, CAD, audio and image data, using search engine technology for use in teaching and learning about, as well as analyzing, different subject matter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, computers have become much more powerful and faster and when linked together in a system allow users to communicate almost instantaneously around the world. However, as computer technology improves, new challenges exist in connection with the managing of huge amounts of data (information), the managing of different types of data and the managing of such data in different formats.
An example of a computer system that manages large amounts of data of various types and formats is a personal computer system including auxiliary components, such as a microphone, speakers, a graphic tablet, a mouse and a keyboard. Such a computer system allows a user to input a presentation consisting of a variety of data. For example, the presentation may include audio data using the microphone, text and diagnostic data using the graphic tablet and keyboard and monitor background (overlay) data using the graphic tablet. The data is then synchronously stored in time slots of a record. The user may also edit the presentation data by rewinding, fast forwarding, playing, pausing and stopping the data in the various time slots by using the mouse to click on a button on the monitor which displays each command and re-inputting the data into the time slots.
A user may then view the presentation data by viewing the monitor to perceive the text and background data and listening to the audio data with the speakers. The user may also control the presentation by rewinding, fast forwarding, playing, pausing and stopping the data the various time slots by using the mouse to click on the respective button on the monitor.
This computer system performs especially well in instructor/student settings. Specifically, this prior art computer system allows a teacher to create a more perfect presentation by using the edit capabilities and allows an endless number of students to observe the presentation at their own pace and on their own time.
Nonetheless, this computer system has a major shortcoming. Specifically, this computer system is not capable of allowing the instructor, nor the student, to instantly search and add further data (information) from other computer sources to the different segments of the presentation. In other words, this type of computer system does not have the capability of searching, retrieving, indexing and storing such data from other computer sources with the specific segments of the presentation for later viewing by a user.
An example of another computer system that manages large amounts of data of various types and formats is search engine technology. This computer system technology has the capability of allowing a user to input a search criteria on the monitor of the computer system and search storage means connected to the computer system, including local server hard drives and remote server websites on the Internet. Accordingly, this search engine technology allows a user to capture a variety of data, including text, audio, image and database data. The user may then view the variety of data to obtain further knowledge on a topic. Nonetheless, this computer system does not have the capability of allowing a user to select certain data to be retained, automatically linked (cross-referenced) and stored.